NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Van Cliburn Foundation, Inc.
Contacts:
Patrick Bibb, pbibb@cliburn.org,
817.738.6536
Lauren Kwedar, lkwedar@phprinc.com,
800.776.9720
FORT WORTH, Texas, August 14, 2012- Kristin Anderson has won the
Cliburn's third Amateur Piano Video Contest, assuring Ms. Anderson
a berth in the seventh International Piano Competition for
Outstanding Amateurs, to be held in May 2015 in Fort Worth,
Texas.
Her performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp
Minor, Op. 3, No. 2 and Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C
Major, BWV 846 received the most votes of the 5,481 cast by the
public in the online contest. The video remains on the Cliburn's YouTube
page for those who missed the chance to view it during voting.
Ms. Anderson received a Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration in 1993 from the University of Florida with a major
in finance and a minor in economics. After college, she earned a
Master of Science in accounting from the University of Central
Florida in 1997 and passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant
examination. Ms. Anderson is currently an organizational
performance-training consultant for Michaels Stores, Inc. and
resides with her husband, Jim, in Irving, Texas.
Describing music's significance in her life, Ms. Anderson
remarked, "Growing up playing the piano and flute not only brought
me a sense of enjoyment, it helped me overcome shyness and learn
the discipline necessary to work hard to be successful in other
areas of life." Studying under Professor Katherine Chen and
Professor Boaz Sharon, Ms. Anderson's dedication earned her a full
piano scholarship at the University of Florida as well as a chance
to represent the University of Florida in the Miss Florida Pageant
where she won the Creative and Performing Arts Award, earning the
highest talent score in the competition.
Support from family and friends makes this win even more special
to Ms. Anderson. "One friend, who is suffering from stage four
cancer, was so moved by my contest performance he said that
listening to the beautiful music temporarily eased his pain. This
contest demonstrated that music makes individuals healthier,
happier, and more productive. I cannot express how appreciative I
am to have this award from an organization like the Van
Cliburn Foundation that enriches the lives of others through
music."
"I am so thrilled to win entry into the Amateur Competition. It
is a dream come true to participate in a competition that brings
together 70 of the finest amateur pianists from around the world.
Since my husband is from Fort Worth, it is especially meaningful to
be able to perform in his hometown, and I look forward to
performing for our families and friends that live in the
metroplex."
According to Ms. Anderson, her interest in the competition was
piqued after attending the Amateur Competition Winners Concert in
April 2012. When she left the concert that day she told her husband
that her next goal was to enter the video contest and win automatic
entry into the seventh International Piano Competition for
Outstanding Amateurs.
"Ms. Anderson's drive, talent, and history of life achievements
exemplify what the International Piano Competition for Outstanding
Amateurs is about," said Alann B. Sampson, interim president and
CEO of the Cliburn. "This competition is designed to celebrate the
importance of music-making as a vital part of daily life, and Ms.
Anderson embodies this mission beautifully. We wish her the best in
the 2015 Amateur Competition."
Voting for the Cliburn Amateur Piano Video Contest took place
between August 1, 2012, and August 10, 2012; 38 aspiring artists
over the age of 35 posted videos, a prerequisite for participating
in the contest. Entrants represented 15 states in the United
States, spanning coast to coast, and 7 foreign countries including
Turkey and France. Among the professions represented were
homemakers, attorneys, and engineers. A worldwide audience
watched the videos, each no more than 10 minutes in length. A total
of 23,000 views.
This competition was held in anticipation of the quadrennial
International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs which
takes place in Fort Worth, Texas, a weeklong festival of
music-making and camaraderie. Competitors perform a wide variety of
repertoire in solo recitals, competing for cash prizes and gifts
awarded by both professional and press juries. The Cliburn also
convenes symposia on relevant topics and organizes social events
during the competition to provide opportunities for participants to
meet and play for one another informally.
The seventh International Piano Competition for Outstanding
Amateurs will take place May 2015 at Texas Christian University's
Ed Landreth Auditorium, in Fort Worth, Texas.
For more information, please visit Cliburn.org.
ABOUT THE VAN CLIBURN FOUNDATION
The Cliburn disseminates classical music worldwide and nurtures
and launches young artists' careers through the quadrennial Van
Cliburn International Piano Competition and ensuing three-year
international concert tours of its medalists as well as
award-winning documentaries, radio broadcasts, and a live webcast
that extends outreach to listeners across the globe.
The Fourteenth Van Cliburn
International Piano Competition will take place May 24-June 9,
2013, at Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall and will welcome 30 of
the world's finest young pianists to Texas. Continuing its
longstanding commitment to new music, the Cliburn has selected
composer Christopher Theofanidis to write the commissioned work
that will be performed by all competitors during the Semifinal
Round. Additionally, the Competition has been dedicated to
showcasing both the extraordinary talent of its competitors in
recital performance as well as their ability to collaborate with
other musicians. The Fourteenth Competition will mark the first
Cliburn appearance by the world-renowned Brentano String Quartet
performing a piano quintet with each of the 12 semifinalists. The
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, which has appeared at every Cliburn
Competition, will perform two concerti with each of the six
finalists, under the baton of Maestro Leonard Slatkin for the first
time. Maestro John Giordano will serve as chairman of the jury for
his eleventh Competition since assuming the post in 1973.
For audiences in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, the Van
Cliburn Foundation promotes great music and world-class artists
through the annual Cliburn Concerts series. It reaches 33,000
elementary school students annually with the education programs of
Musical Awakenings®. In 1999, it established
the International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, which
The Boston Globe proclaimed "a celebration of music, and
the people who have to make music, no matter what." The sixth
Amateur Competition was held May 23-29, 2011, at Ed Landreth
Auditorium on the campus of TCU. Official Sponsors of the Van
Cliburn Foundation include Amon G. Carter Foundation; Ann L. &
Carol Green Rhodes Charitable Trust, Bank of America, Trustee; Arts
Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County; BNSF Railway
Foundation; Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust, Bank of America,
Trustee; ExxonMobil; Sid W. Richardson Foundation; The Burnett
Foundation; and XTO Energy Inc. Exclusive print media sponsor
is Star-Telegram. Exclusive radio station is WRR
101.1 FM. Official Airline is American Airlines.
Visit Cliburn.org to learn more about the Cliburn during its
50th Anniversary year in 2012 and beyond.
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